Legend of Zelda: Chosen of Hylia
by Saiyan5Nine-tails
Summary: How far will one man go, with the mission given to him by the Goddess, to end the cycle that his sibling and friend's souls are trapped in by the ancient curse of a Demon King?  Takes place after Twilight Princess...
1. Prologue: The Dream

Legend of Zelda: Chosen of Hylia

_The cycle has become endless..._

_Time itself is split into three..._

_The 'conquered timeline', where it is a struggle to prevent Ganon's resurrection... It is the "Time of Power"._

_The 'adult timeline' created by Princess Zelda, where the old land has been washed away, and a New Hyrule has been born, free of the curse of the old land... It is the "Time of Wisdom"._

_The 'child timeline', where the chosen hero Link continues to battle courageously against foes his prior incarnations fought before the division... It is the "Time of Courage"._

_...But Demise is ever present in all three._

_His hatred, and its refusal to die, manifests in all timelines, all in the form of Ganondorf, a King of Thieves._

_In the "Time of Wisdom", and the "Time of Power", Ganondorf has been extinguished, and with him, Demise's hatred._

_In the "Time of Power", the power of the Silver Arrow has turned the Demon King Ganon into dust, and his minions have failed to resurrect him, putting an end to the King._

_In the "Time of Wisdom", Ganondorf is naught but stone, trapped underneath the waves of the world, the Master Sword his prison._

_A new Demon King came to the surface, but has now been extinguished by the Sword of the Spirits of Good._

_It is only in the "Time of Courage", that Demise's life force still lives on, immortal, and imprisoned in the Four Sword._

_This sword that holds my power..._

_..._

"_You understand what must be done...to finally end Demise's cycle of hatred?"_

"_...Yes."_

"_I am asking you to sacrifice much in the coming quest, including the bonds you share with those you love. Do you still wish to become my "chosen"?_

"_...The souls of the ones I love are still trapped in this cycle with the Demon King. I will become your "Chosen"."_

"_...Thank you. Trust in Link when the time is right. It is only by his hand will the cycle be broken...but it will be by yours that he will gain the Courage, Wisdom, and Power to do it...And by yours that he will live long enough to do what must be done."_

"_It's time for you to wake up now..."_


	2. Chapter 2

Moment of Peace

"Fier? Fier! Big brother Fier, wake up!"

Blinking and tired, the young male youth woke up to the voice calling his name. He sat up in his bed, and looked over to the side to look at the blond haired child who woke him up.

It was his little sister, Zelda.

Fier was the eldest child of the Hyrule Royal Family, and was a knight of Hyrule. He was eight years older than his sister, who was ten years old. Fier took his duties as the Prince of Hyrule seriously, but when it came to his little sister and the young Link, he let himself unwind and have fun, playing "Knights" with the two young friends.

In terms of appearance, along with a strong male physique developed from his training to be a knight, Fier shared his sister's blond hair and blue eyes.

"...What is it, Zelda," Fier asked, yawning.

"It is almost noon, and Link is waiting outside," Zelda spoke, lightly pushing Fier, indicating she wanted him to hurry.

"Noon? AAHHH!"

Fier jumped out of bed, remembering what he promised yesterday. "You said that you would let us watch you practice."

"I'm sorry Zelda; I was having a..." Fier stopped short. _What should I say? That a Goddess gave me a vision?_

"...What's wrong?"

_"I am asking you to sacrifice much in the coming quest, including the bonds you share with those you love."_

Fier smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing; I was just having a bizarre dream. Imagine, a Goddess making me her chosen warrior."

"A Goddess," Zelda asked. She chuckled. "I didn't know big brother had fantasies of grandeur."

"Yeah, and big brother needs privacy to get dressed, so go back outside to Link you little rascal."

_That was…just a dream, right?_ He watched his little sister open and close the door behind her. _While it felt real…it had to be a dream. Link is too young to do what the Goddess said, unless she was referring to something in the future._

He shook his head and sighed; the future was for those who were worried about it. Right now, he needed to focus on the present. He walked over to his closet, and opened it to reveal the armour of a Knight of Hyrule.

"…Hylia," he whispered. That was the Goddess' name. He reached for his sword…

"Fier!"

Fier smiled as a young, blond haired boy called out his name. Wearing a plain shirt and pants, Link beamed a smile at him.

"I hope you didn't wait long," Fier replied back.

"Dad always says that patience is a key trait a Knight of Hyrule should have."

"Then you are ahead of the rest of the squires of your age then."

Link's father was Fier's own mentor; the strongest knight of Hyrule and rumoured to have been descendant of the Link who rescued Hyrule from the hordes of Twilight. He had named his son Link after the legendary hero.

"And I am also happy to see your swordsmanship." Link added enthusiastically.

"Well, you certainly have the enthusiasm to match the other squires." Fier stated. "Now, let us go to the training ground. I have a particularly special practice partner today."

Zelda and Link followed on Fier's heels as they arrived at the dirt field where the knights of Hyrule practice all of their skills. A knight of Hyrule was versed in all manners of combat: swordsmanship, archery, spear-wielding, jousting, explosives and numerous other types of weaponry. Each knight had their preferred specialty; the man sitting cross-legged in circle at the field's center had mastered them all.

Link's eyes widened. "Dad?"

The purple-haired, red eyed man stood up and dusted off his green armour. "I assume that you slept in and Zelda had to wake you up?"

Fier kneeled before his master. "My apologies; I got back in late from patrol duty last night, sir Kafei."

Kafei was a legendary figure in his own age, having saved Hyrule from General Onox and the sorceress Veran, who had spread destruction and sorrow throughout Hyrule in the days before Fier was born. To this day, he is hailed as a hero equal to that of the Twilight Hero for his heroics.

"And you are supposed to be a prince," Kafei said with a chuckle, "but you work just like any other soldier." He looked down at his amazed son. "Good afternoon, Link."

"Are you and Kafei going to spar against one another?" Link said in wonder.

"Oh, you are going to get a much better show than that." Fier said.

Zelda and Link looked back and forth between the two. "You mean…You mean you two are actually going to fight?" Zelda said excitedly. "For real?"

"It is going to be a real treat," Kafei said happily, rubbing his gauntleted hands together. "Go and sit over there so you can enjoy the show."

Zelda laughed and dragged Link along, who looked back uncertainly at his father. He saluted, and Link waved back.

Once they were out of hearing distance, Fier leaned towards Kafei. "How is father doing," he whispered.

Kafei frowned. "The poor man is not doing well, I am afraid. It's a terrible thing to happen; he was quite a fighter back in the day." He glanced over at Zelda. "You do realize that Zelda will need to be told that this is a magical affliction sooner or later, right? You can't pass it off as a fever any longer."

Fier's eyes narrowed. "I do not want to scare Zelda by insinuating that father might be possessed by a malevolent spirit. She's too young for any of that."

"…Yes, I understand your concerns, but Zelda is a lot smarter than most her age; I believe she would be able to cope.

Fier nodded. "Perhaps."

Kafei smiled sadly and placed a hand on Fier's shoulder. "Well, we might as well get going; we don't want the kids getting concerned, do we?"

"…Yeah."

With that said, the two men walked towards the circle's edges, and turned around to face one another. But before they could get their hands on the hilts of their swords, a horn blared.

"That horn is…" Fier stated.

"Someone's invading!" Kafei shouted. "Fier, get your arms and head to the stables!"

"Dad!" Link shouted, running towards his father.

"Link, take Zelda back into the castle! We do not know how bad things will get, so we need you two to be safe!"

Link nodded, and looked back at Zelda, who was staring at her brother. "Big brother…"

Fier smiled reassuringly at her. "Do not worry; nothing is going to stop your big brother."


	3. The Assault

The Assault

Upon arriving at the stables, they mounted their horses and made for the main gate of Hyrule Castle Town, riding past the citizens who were heading towards the inner walls to take refuge. Following close behind them were the other knights of Hyrule and Hyrule's soldiers, with those on the walls already letting loose arrows at whatever enemy was invading.

Fier and Kafei stopped before the gates, and turned to address the soldiers and their fellow knights.

"Soldiers and knights of Hyrule," Kafei pronounced, "our kingdom and families are once again threatened by an enemy from the outside! Steel your hearts for battle! Steady your shields to halt the tide! Your skill and wisdom shall trump their numbers! The power of your weapons shall cleave through their arms! And, above all, your courage shall send the enemy into retreat!"

"Fight for your families and friends! Fight for Hyrule!"

A shout from the soldiers affirmed their resolve, and they moved to the walls to supplement their comrades. Kafei and Fier followed suit up to the walls to observe the enemy hordes.

A disorganized rabble of goblins, both moblins and bokoblins alike were running forward, carrying ladders with them towards the wall. Off behind them, siege towers were very distinct and slowly lumbered forward. The archers had made it a priority to take out the bokoblin and moblin archers first, and to kill those goblins carrying the ladders forward. So far, they had one a good job of slowing the enemy advance…for now.

Picking out a number of green blocks moving alongside the siege towers, Kafei recognized the lizalfos and dinolfos he had fought over 18 years ago. Then his eyes drifted over to the spaces between the siege towers…

He let out a shuddering gasp. This disconcerted Fier and the soldiers around them. "What's wrong?" Fier asked.

"…I have never seen that many Darknuts and Iron Knuckles in one place."

Fier looked out to where Kafei's gaze had drawn his own. Amidst the rabble of goblins running forward, a solid black block of iron soldiers was lumbering forward, led by one red coloured man wielding a large axe.

Fier was once told stories of those iron monsters by Kafei. The great hero admitted to himself that they were the most dangerous of beings he had ever encountered aside from the temple guardians. The darkest story he recalled was when three Iron Knuckles eradicated the town of Kasuto, having arrived too late to stop them. He himself nearly died fighting those three Iron Knuckles. He considered Kasuto his greatest failure.

There were five Iron Knuckles leading ten Darknuts in the hordes. The central Iron Knuckle was giving commands to the creatures around him in a foreign tongue.

"The red one is the leader," Fier deduced. "We take him out, and the horde will scatter."

"LADDERS!"

Kafei looked over to the section of wall fifteen metres to the left of where he was standing. A pair of ladders was being pushed up towards the wall, a towering moblin at the top of each one, and another was being raised immediately to the right. Kafei took his bow off his back, and drew an arrow from his quiver, and Fier raced towards the ladder on the right, spear in hand.

Kafei drew his bow and fired. The arrow went straight through the moblin's head, blood and brain matter seeping from the hole in its head as it fell back down onto its two comrades, toppling the ladder in the process. He quickly let loosed another at the second moblin, piercing it through the neck, and it fell forward.

As the moblin on the right ladder prepared to dismount on the wall, Fier thrust his spear forward towards the goblin. It was run through by its own forward momentum, and Fier let that momentum carry it forward off the wall and into the streets below.

"Your majesty, more ladders!"

Fier looked along the wall. More ladders were being propped up, either mounted by one moblin or a slew of bokoblins along the ladder's length.

"DRAW YOUR SWORDS!" Fier ordered.

The sound of iron unsheathing rung along the battlement as the ladders converged upon the wall, leaving spaces where the siege towers would later arrive.

Fier drew his sword as a ladder carrying bokoblins mounted, decapitating the lead goblin with his drawing stroke.

Kafei stowed away his bow and drew his Gilded Sword as a moblin stomped towards him. It swung its mace which Kafei side-stepped with grace. With a two handed grip, he severed the monster's hands at the wrist, and stabbed it through the skull.

The sound of battle soon raged along the walls, black and red blood mixing as monstrous bokoblins and moblins and the brave soldiers of Hyrule spilt each other's blood. The soldiers of Hyrule rallied around her knights, who fought as islands in the middle of a storm, their resolve giving them courage.

The catapults and cannons were heavily guarded by the soldiers of Hyrule, the barrage of rock and explosives carving swathes through the enemy ranks, and destroyed siege towers before they could reach the walls.

Within seven minutes, a single siege tower reached the wall. Kafei saw it, and his eyes hardened with resolve. The legendary hero raised his sword into the air, the blade beginning to hum.

Around him the battle briefly ceased. The bokoblins scurried away in fear, some of them jumping off the wall when they realized what was about to happen. All but one moblin backed away, and it charged towards Kafei, not realizing that even the Hylian soldiers cleared a space between Kafei and the tower, its doors opening.

Kafei brought his sword down.

A sword-shaped beam of energy charged forward and passed right through the moblin and connected with the siege tower, vaporizing the moblin and destroying the tower in an explosion of light. The force of the explosion knocked the siege tower over on its side, toppling it and the ladders in its way.

The soldiers cheered at the display of the sword beam, and the enemy was disoriented. The battle was in the favour of Hyrule.

"So that is the legendary hero's power," Fier commented in admiration, and looked towards a nearby cannon crew who were aiming at the Darknuts and Iron Knuckles as per his orders. Once they were lined up, the crew gave him confirmation they were ready.

"FIRE!"

A cavernous roar erupted from the cannon as it sent a heavy ball of iron directly at the red Iron Knuckles.

The Iron Knuckle raised its hand and caught the cannon ball, and crushed it into pebbles.

Fier gasped in disbelief. It was insanity! No living thing he knew of could stop a cannonball. He saw the mass of iron soldiers pick up pace. All he did was make them angry.

Kafei observed this as well. He ordered, "Knights, to the gate! Fredric, Ivan, Theodore and Peter, stay up here and guard the wall!"

Entrusting the wall to four knights and the soldiers of Hyrule, Fier, Kafei and the knights went down to the gate where a line of soldiers guarded the gate. "Open it," Kafei ordered.

Fier protested in disbelief. "That Iron Knuckle stopped a cannonball with its bare hands! How are we –"

"_You_ and the others will keep the Darknuts busy; I will deal with the Iron Knuckles." Kafei sternly replied. "Even if we kept the gate closed, they'd smash through it like paper anyway; it is best to confront them on the field."

Fier bit his lip in fear. What was Kafei doing? He sure hoped that Link and Zelda were not seeing this.

"Wow!" Link said, looking through a telescope up in the north tower of the castle. "I can see the entire battle from here!"

"I know," Zelda replied. "We usually use this telescope for looking at the stars in the sky, but it is nice to use it to see how big brother and Dad are doing."

Link's solemn silence was his reply. As amazing as the view was, he knew that men were dying down there; men that his father knew and trained. He saw movement on the wall as his father's distinctive green armour moved off the wall towards the gate with numerous other knights of Hyrule.

"Hey, what is Dad doing with the-"

For a split-second, a purple-red thing suddenly appeared in Link's line of sight **and stared directly at him**.

Link screamed and stumbled backwards. "Link," Zelda said in surprise, "what happened?"

"S-something just appeared in front of the telescope," Link stuttered as Zelda went and looked through the telescope. "I don't know what it was, but it had big creepy eyes and-"

"I don't see anything," Zelda replied, "perhaps it was just…Wait, why are big brother and Sir Kafei running out of the gate!?"

The knights of Hyrule charged out of the gate with Hyrule's soldiers flanking them, the archers from the walls providing covering fire for them as they streamed out. The soldiers fanned out to engage the goblins and lizard men on the field of battle, and the knights carved through any who stood between them and the iron soldiers leading the invasion. The gates were closed behind them as the last of the soldiers ran out.

In response, the Darknuts charged forward, led by two Iron Knuckles at a speed that belied their massive size. The sound of their heavy footsteps caused the ground to shake as they pressed forward, crushing their own allies underfoot.

The knights spread out in order to intercept the Darknuts – all but Fier who kept on running beside Kafei. Kafei looked over at his former apprentice, and received a nod of reassurance. He nodded in return; Kafei himself was not much older than Fier when he first took up a sword to protect Hyrule. He understood that Fier was ready, and turned his attention towards the Iron Knuckles in front of them. He gripped his Gilded Sword with both hands and prepared for the Iron Knuckle's first strike.

On the surface of his right hand, a four-sectioned triangle faintly glowed, the right triangle blazing brightly with the Triforce of Courage, the greatest symbol of his descent from the Twilight Hero.

The Iron Knuckle swung its axe in an arc.


End file.
